Gordon Sinclair facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Allan Gordon Sinclair OC FRGS
Gordon Sinclair, c. 1930
Born	(1900-06-03)June 3, 1900 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	May 17, 1984(1984-05-17) (aged 83) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Resting place	Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto
Occupation	Journalist writer commentator
Employer	CFRB, Toronto Star, CBC
Known for	TV & radio broadcasts, The Americans commentary

Allan Gordon Sinclair (June 3, 1900 – May 17, 1984) was a famous Canadian journalist, writer, and commentator. He was known for his exciting travel stories, his strong opinions on radio, and his long time on the TV show Front Page Challenge. He also wrote a very popular speech called "The Americans."

Early Life and First Jobs

Gordon Sinclair was born in Toronto, Ontario, in a neighborhood called Cabbagetown. When he was 16, he left high school to work at the Bank of Nova Scotia. After a short time, he moved on to work at Eaton's, a large department store.

During World War I, he was a part-time soldier in a local army group. In 1920, he started a job as a bookkeeper. There, he met Gladys Prewett, and they got married in 1926.

Becoming a World Reporter

In 1922, Sinclair started working as a reporter for the Toronto Star newspaper. For seven years, he did regular assignments. His big break came when he wrote a series of articles about living with homeless people in Toronto. He called them "Toronto's hobo club."

After this, Sinclair became one of the Star's top reporters. He spent almost ten years traveling the world and sending back exciting stories.

Travels and Best-Selling Books

In 1932, Sinclair spent four months in India. When he came home, he wrote his first book, Foot-loose in India. It became a best-seller in Canada, selling out on its first day!

He then traveled to Southeast Asia. His adventures there became his second book, Cannibal Quest. This book was also a best-seller in Canada and even reached the top 10 in the U.S. He followed this with another book, Loose Among the Devils, based on his trip to Devil's Island.

Sinclair was known for his amazing travel stories. However, some readers wondered if all his adventures were true. The Star even sent another reporter to check his claims for one series.

In 1935, Sinclair left the Star for a short time. He had traveled 340,000 miles across 73 countries for the newspaper. He later returned to the Star to write about sports, but it wasn't very successful. He soon went back to general reporting and traveled to Asia again in 1938. He stayed in Canada during World War II.

Radio and Television Career

Sinclair interviewing Pierre Trudeau in 1972 on Let's Discuss It

In 1942, Sinclair started doing short news reports for Toronto radio station CFRB. His bosses at the Star didn't like that he was working for another news outlet, so he left the newspaper again.

In 1943, he officially joined CFRB and even became a part-owner of the station. He worked there for over 40 years until he passed away.

In 1949, he went back to the Star one last time as a freelance reporter. He covered the end of the Berlin Blockade. He continued to write a radio and TV column for the paper until 1962.

Front Page Challenge TV Show

In 1957, Sinclair also started a career in television. He became a regular panelist on the CBC Television show Front Page Challenge. He stayed on the show for 27 years. Sinclair was known for his strong and sometimes controversial opinions.

Sinclair was very wealthy from his investments. He often shared his views on many topics, like taxes and certain public services. He also became a strong critic of religion later in his life.

He wrote two autobiographies: Will the Real Gordon Sinclair Please Stand Up (1966) and Will Gordon Sinclair Please Sit Down (1975).

The Famous "The Americans" Commentary

On June 5, 1973, Gordon Sinclair recorded his most famous radio speech, called "The Americans." He made this speech after the American Red Cross ran out of money helping people after natural disasters.

In his commentary, Sinclair praised America's success and how generous Americans were in helping others around the world. But he also pointed out that when America faced its own problems, it often seemed to be alone.

Sinclair thought it was just another one of his regular commentaries. However, U.S. News & World Report published the full text, and many people asked for copies. A radio station in Washington, D.C., started playing a recording of his speech with music in the background. Sinclair received thousands of letters about it.

A Hit Song

Because of the huge response, a recording of Sinclair's commentary was sold as a single song. All the money went to the American Red Cross. "The Americans (A Canadian's Opinion)" became a hit, reaching No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. This made the 73-year-old Sinclair one of the oldest people to have a Top 40 hit.

Another version of the commentary, recorded by Byron MacGregor, became an even bigger hit in the U.S. Sinclair was reportedly annoyed by this, as MacGregor's version came out before his own official one.

In 1981, when U.S. President Ronald Reagan visited Canada, he praised Sinclair for his inspiring tribute to the United States. "The Americans" commentary became popular again after the September 11 attacks in 2001 and after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Final Years and Legacy

In 1979, Sinclair was given the Order of Canada, a high honor in Canada. He was also added to the Etobicoke Hall of Fame in 1984. He continued to do many radio broadcasts each week and appear on Front Page Challenge until his death.

In his very last commentary, on May 15, 1984, he talked about passing his annual driver's test. That same day, Sinclair had a serious heart attack. He passed away two days later at age 83. He was buried in Toronto.

Gordon Sinclair's eldest son, Gord Sinclair, also became a successful radio journalist.

Published Works

• Foot-loose in India: adventures of a news chaser from Khyber's grim gash of death to the tiger jungles of Bengal and the Burmese battle ground of the black cobra. 1933. Oxford University Press.
• Cannibal Quest. 1935. Doubleday, Doran & Gundy.
• Loose Among Devils: a voyage from Devil's Island to those jungles of West Africa labelled "the white man's grave. 1935. Doubleday, Doran & Gundy.
• Khyber Caravan: through Kashmir, Waziristan, Afghanistan, Baluchistan and Northern India 1936. Simon & Schuster of Canada. ISBN: 0-671-80178-3
• Bright Paths to Adventure. 1945. McClelland & Stewart.
• Will the Real Gordon Sinclair Please Stand Up. 1966. McClelland & Stewart.
• Will Gordon Sinclair Please Sit Down. 1975. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN: 0-7710-8163-4
• Footloose: A Commentary on the Books of Gordon Sinclair. John Robert Colombo. 2008. Colombo & Company. ISBN: 1-894540-65-4. 2014. Kindle Edition.

Singles